Link to wnba comms post on threads: https://www.threads.com/share/BAVRTcSPt8/

Seems like all is fine! I was in the line at one point with over 50,000+ ahead of me. Took me 45 mins to get in.

“All-American Skylar Diggins has been hired as an outside consultant serving as the Special Advisor to Niele Ivey. Diggins will serve Ivey and her coaching staff and be an off-the-floor mentor to student-athletes focusing on leadership, personal development and brand building.”

“The South Bend native and Irish alumna will travel with the team and be on the bench during games until the Unrivaled season begins.”

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2026/10/26/skylar-diggins-special-advisor-notre-dame-womens-basketball-niele-ivey/92444948007/

Link to post on Threads: https://www.threads.com/share/BALMhoEbiP/

“What do you wanna do, tell people to wrap up their celebration so we can get the Hawks game started?”

• https://www.instagram.com/p/De-I4MJStYA/

Event just posted on Facebook, Game 6 will be a lunch game Thursday at 12:30pm at State Farm Arena

https://www.facebook.com/events/2894712784233707/

Update: Event now showing cancelled. Hopefully it comes back at a reasonable time

Update 2: ESPN confirming lunchtime game https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/50288799/dream-valkyries-play-g6-wnba-finals-state-farm

Things happen inside Ballhalla -- the moniker given to the Chase Center for Golden State Valkyries games -- that don't happen anywhere else.

The song "Blow the Whistle" seems to be the unofficial theme song inside the building, playing before games, during them and at almost at any moment. During one break in play during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, the most famous line from the song comes over the speakers. "What's my favorite word?!" recording artist Too Short, an Oakland native, asks. In unison, it feels like the entire sellout crowd of more than 18,000 responds with his Bay Area drawl: Bi-ah-tch!

Even Too Short chuckles at the development.

"The best part is how generational it is," Too Short told ESPN. "That the senior citizens, the moms and dads, and the kids, everybody knows it. I laugh at the kids who know they got a pass. This one time, this one time you're not going to get in trouble if you say Too Short's favorite word. I've seen it ... the parents: 'You can say it, you can say it, you can say it.'

"It's a Too Short song that is family friendly -- in quotation marks."

Ballhalla -- so named as a play on Valhalla, in Norse mythology the resting place for great warriors who died in battle -- has become famous for having the most raucous environment in the league -- and during two WNBA Finals games so far, it has lived up to that reputation. It has sold out for every home game in the franchise's existence, and the Valkyries became the first team in WNBA history to average an attendance of over 18,000 per game.

And as the Valkyries return home to San Francisco for Game 5 of the WNBA Finals with the series against the Atlanta Dream tied 2-2, they know their fans will show up big again. During Games 1 and 2, fans were already on their feet during pregame warmups, erupting every time a close-up of a player was shown on the big screen. (There's a particular obsession with 2025 third-round pick Kaitlyn Chen, who receives the loudest roar of any player any time she takes a shot or is shown on the screen.)

"I did feel a different roar," coach Natalie Nakase said after Game 1. "I was excited. They were really screaming when they got announced."

Peer pressure, typically frowned upon in the real world, is happily accepted in Ballhalla. Violet T-shirts were placed on every seat before Finals games for fans to put on when they arrived. If they didn't -- beware. There was a point during both home Finals games when cameras scanned the crowd, and any fans not wearing the T-shirt could wind up being shown on the videoboard and playfully berated by the in-arena host. Even if fans were already wearing a Valkyries jersey or some other piece of team merch, the host and other fans demanded they put the T-shirt on. The shaming was real.

The noise is also real.

It's like a constant roll of thunder that starts even before player introductions and rarely takes a lull, even when the team is struggling. The league put together a video post of decibel measurements during Game 1: A Gabby Williams corner 3-pointer reached 114.5 dBA. A Chen triple hit 114.7. The game-sealing free throws from Williams got to 112.1 on the meter.

According to decibel scales, a measurement of 100.0 is comparable to a motorcycle, a subway train or a helicopter. A measurement of 110.0 compares to a chainsaw, industrial noise or a rock band. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders states that long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss.

The only time Ballhalla quiets down is when the Valkyries are shooting free throws, and then the arena becomes so eerily quiet that you can hear the footsteps of people walking around. Even after a Game 2 loss, fans stood and cheered until the entire team had left the court.

"Probably the best basketball game I've ever been to, honestly," San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans recently told reporters. "I've been to the Finals games. ... Went to a lot of games, playoff games, and it's hard to beat that atmosphere last night. I knew it was going to be lit, I knew it was going to be a great environment, but I didn't know it was going to be the best I've ever been to."

Team president Jess Smith was the organization's first employee, tasked with creating the brand, hiring the rest of the staff and essentially building the entire organization from scratch. She had basically one edict from fans: They just wanted it to be cool.

"One of the main groups of folks that have come out and supported this team are women's sports fans, and they have been underserved for a really long time," Smith said, "They are watching everything on TV. They are buying the merchandise they have access to, or they're supporting the players. Every single thing that they do, they're hyperaware of what that means, and yet, there hasn't necessarily been a property that's matched that energy.

"I think so often, as folks were building in women's sports, there was often kind of this lens of like, 'OK, how do we make this something that doesn't fail?' But, in turn, what it was doing, it wasn't making it big and bold enough to draw people into the capacity that they wanted to invest."

In San Francisco, they wanted to go big. That included high-end amenities. VIP clubs with sushi and champagne. One of the best dance teams in the league -- the Violet Vibes. A sassy mascot named Violet. A hype squad labeled The Flock.

But a unique, high-quality experience is a common goal for sports organizations across the world, let alone in the WNBA. So what makes Ballhalla different?

"She is relentless in how she's wanted to create this one inclusive organization," Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said of Smith. "It is a Golden State ethos, but she embodies it on a day-to-day basis."

The success of Smith's plan in San Francisco seems driven by the perfect combination of several factors. The Bay Area is a market that has genuine interest in women's sports. The locale has an affluent, diverse and technology-driven community. The WNBA is currently at the height of its popularity. And the organization actively incorporates the community into everything it does. Music by Too Short and other local artists is played regularly. Bay Area rappers LaRussell and Larry June performed at halftime of the first two Finals games. Before the fourth quarter, there's an activation to "Get Hyphy," an Oakland term for getting hype. Partnerships include companies that invest in women's sports. The Valkyries house a full-time store for team merchandise at time when league merch has sometimes been difficult to purchase.

Smith and the Valkyries have another advantage that many other organizations don't: Their ownership group also owns the Golden State Warriors, a franchise that has won four NBA titles since 2015 and has developed one of the strongest brands in the NBA. That connection brought to the Valkyries institutional knowledge, resources and trial-and-error experience. The Warriors' history also informed a willingness to invest in a robust staff in a way not all other organizations are willing, or capable, of doing.

"This region is very special in the world's landscape," Smith said. "One, it's where people look to see what comes next, whether it's how you treat people or what innovations are going to come next. But when you're here, what you realize is that that's just part of the culture of ethos of belief, and we don't wait for something to be proven. We want to prove it to the world.

"I think when we came out and did the right things, when it was building the brand, letting people know what this would mean, signaling to them that we were going to set a standard together for the future of women's sports and what that meant here, and what that means for the future investment, of course, this region was all-in."

Players throughout the league appreciate what has been built. The noise is loud and constant, but in a good way. Lately the league has dealt with the issue of fans who cross the line from good-natured opposition to hateful and, at times, racial aggression. That hasn't been the experience inside Ballhalla.

"Even though they're against you, they're still respectful," Dream guard Allisha Gray said. "That's what I like about Ballhalla. ... When they go on a run, it does get really, really loud in there."

Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes added, "The way that they support is not any negativity. They don't have to talk bad about other players. They don't have to talk bad about fans that come in from out of town to show support for their team. ... That's why our crowd is unique."

Too Short hasn't missed a single playoff game this season. Before Game 2 of the Finals, he stood on the court as a giant drum with the letters GSV printed on it was wheeled out. Wearing a Valkyries jersey, he took the oversized drumstick and banged as the crowd chanted "G-S-V! G-S-V!"

From the entertainment to the building to the fanbase, the Bay Area represents in Ballhalla.

"I'm from here, man, and we just really have that pride," Too Short said. "So the fans, in return, they take to it and they have the same pride. ... It really is like a family."

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/50281281/ballhalla-golden-state-valkyries-wnba-finals

Every step of her basketball journey, there was a logical reason why Natalie Nakase was unlikely to get a shot.

At 5-foot-2, she didn’t have the profile (even as a walk-on) to play at UCLA. She played professionally in the shadows, competing for unheralded teams like the San Jose Spiders and San Diego Siege in the short-lived and now-defunct National Women’s Basketball League. From there, she coached in largely unrecognized outposts, like leading the Saitama Broncos in Japan or the Wolfenbüttel Wildcats in Germany.

For Nakase, it didn’t matter where she played or coached. Didn’t matter if it was men or women. Didn’t matter if there were big crowds or none at all. As long as there was a basketball.

Her gumption slowly opened doors. Her talent and vision of the game kept getting her to the next rung of the coaching ladder, landing on Doc Rivers’ staff as a Clippers assistant before joining the WNBA’s Aces with Becky Hammon and then being plucked by Joe Lacob as the Golden State Valkyries first coach.

“Hey, I wasn’t that talented of a player, so? I think what I’ve learned is, no matter your size, it’s really more your heart and your fight that comes out,” she said. “That was to me something I really wanted to instill (as a coach).”

How fitting a mindset for the woman who has a second-year expansion franchise fighting for a championship, tied 2-2 with the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals.

Nakase, 46, assembled a group of players — many of whom had been cast-offs — and molded underdogs into predators.

“I still wanted to bring another level of fight and confidence into them, because that’s for me the biggest thing,” she said. “You don’t always have to be the tallest player. You don’t have to be the fastest or most athletic, but if you have a fight in you, that never-quit type of mentality, I think you can go pretty far.”

Those who witnessed Nakase’s dogged determination along her journey learned not to doubt how far she’d go.

Read the rest here for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7706239/2026/10/26/natalie-nakase-golden-state-coach-journey-wnba/?unlocked_article_code=1.LlE.Xh9F.aJfJMfDXPrNR&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

### Lady Whistledunk Vol. XVIII

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and Sport Singapore (SportSG) have announced that the inaugural Women's Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Next Up Camp will be held in Singapore from November 18 to 21.

Women's BWB Next Up 2026 will bring together 80 of the top female, high-school-age prospects from around the world to participate in athletic testing, movement efficiency, skill development stations, 3-on-3 competitions, life-skills seminars, and 5-on-5 games under the guidance of current and former WNBA and FIBA players and coaches, including 2019 WNBA champion and FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022 champion Ariel Atkins (Los Angeles Sparks), two-time WNBA champion and 2021 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champion Jordin Canada (Atlanta Dream), 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup champion and Canada Women's National Team member Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire), four-time WNBA champion and two-time FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup champion Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), 2014 WNBA champion and two-time FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup champion Brittney Griner (Connecticut Sun), and two-time WNBA champion, former Slovakia Women’s National Team member and current Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver.

The campers and coaches will also take part in social impact programming, including a basketball clinic in collaboration with SportSG for 50 girls, a coaches clinic, and a referees clinic. Women's BWB Next Up 2026 marks the third time BWB will be held in Singapore, following the BWB Asia that was held there in 2010 and 2025.

In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the BWB – the NBA and FIBA's global basketball development and community outreach program – the NBA and FIBA previously announced the launch of BWB Next Up – two annual camps for the top 80 male prospects and top 80 female prospects from outside the U.S. from which the top-performing players will be selected to participate in BWB All-Star camps at the following NBA and AT&T WNBA All-Star. The inaugural Men’s BWB Next Up was held in Istanbul, Türkiye in August 2026.

"The inaugural Women's BWB Next Up camp in Singapore builds on the NBA's longstanding collaboration with SportSG to grow basketball and expand access to the game across the region," said NBA Head of Southeast Asia and Asia Marketing Sheila Rasu.

"This camp will bring together a distinguished group of elite female prospects from around the world to learn from WNBA players, legends and coaches, and reflects our shared commitment to creating more opportunities for women’s basketball in Singapore and beyond."

"One of the most exciting aspects of this inaugural BWB Next Up camp for women is the opportunity for 80 talented young players to learn from an outstanding group of coaches and staff," said FIBA Head of Players Unit Kimberley Gaucher.

"The diversity of knowledge, backgrounds and international experiences represented at this camp in Singapore will create a unique learning environment, helping players develop both on- and off-court. Following the recent momentum of a record-breaking FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026, many of the coaches and staff joining have been part of that global event over the years, bringing first-hand experience from the highest level of international basketball. We are confident this will be a memorable and rewarding experience for everyone involved."

"Building on Singapore's successful hosting of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational and Basketball Without Borders Asia, we are proud to welcome the inaugural Women's BWB Next Up this November," said Sport Singapore Deputy Chief of Industry Development Dean Tan.

"As one of the most popular team sports among youth in Singapore, basketball offers a valuable platform for youth engagement and development. This event reflects our commitment to nurturing young sporting talent, providing them with opportunities to learn from world-class coaches, connect with peers from around the world, and gain valuable experiences."

A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the Sport Singapore 2026 Three-Point Champion, the Defensive MVP and the Playoff MVP to the campers who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.

Women's BWB Next Up 2026 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear.

The following is a complete list of current and former players, coaches and personnel participating in Women’s BWB Next Up 2026:

BWB has reached more than 5,200 participants from 150 countries and territories since 2001, with 155 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA. Twenty-three former BWB campers have advanced to the WNBA, including Kamilla Cardoso (Chicago Sky; Brazil; BWB All-Star 2019), Aaliyah Edwards (Sun; Canada; BWB All-Star 2019), Awak Kuier (Dallas Wings; Finland; BWB All-Star 2017), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm; Australia; BWB Asia 2016), Dominique Malonga (Storm; France; BWB Europe 2022), Jade Melbourne (Storm; Australia; BWB All-Star 2020), Iliana Rupert (Golden State Valkyries; France; BWB All-Star 2018) and Han Xu (New York Liberty; China; BWB All-Star 2018). The NBA and FIBA have staged 87 BWB camps in 56 cities across 36 countries on six continents.

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/womens-world-cup-and-wnba-stars-atkins-canada-carleton-gray-griner-and-toliver-to-headline-first-womens-basketball-without-borders-next-up-camp-in-singapore

Obviously you extend her but here comes the problem you don’t have the salary cap to get it done she’s eligible for the supermax now it’s Angel so she’ll probably take a tad bit less but regardless

So who goes to make the extension happen?

Bri jones is making a million her injury history is pretty serious last few years a torn meniscus, torn Achilles, other season ending knee injury this season and I THINK it was the opposite knee.

Then you have Naz making 840,000

I like Naz a lot for this team but for a starter she’s a bit of a tweener. Her size and rim protection for a PF is a challenge and She’s also a bit limited on offense. But Her versatility, iq and hustle is a plus you want on your team.

And Naz is still really young. If she can work on ball handling so that she can get to the rim on her own and so that she can start initiating plays.

Like the 2017 warriors when draymond or Kevin looney would fake a handoff to curry and drive right to the rim that fits her skill set perfectly

Speaking on the "No Offseason" podcast, Annie Costabile discussed how the Fever's next general manager could want to bring in a new head coach. However, that decision would likely depend on whether they believe a better option is available.

"Whoever comes in as GM obviously didn't hire Steph… You could assume, or you could speculate about the fact that she is expected to stay the coach of the Fever if they can't find someone else to fill this role, who they'd prefer, who they'd believe is better," Costabile began.

She believes White's position could be in jeopardy even if the Fever don't immediately hire a replacement.

"I think, you know, it's fair that anytime changes at the executive level are made and the coach hired under previous leadership is remaining… they're remaining, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're safe."

The questions surrounding White's job security come after a controversial season in Indiana. Fans and multiple analysts called for her to be replaced during the year, criticizing her in-game decisions and questioning her relationship with players, particularly Caitlin Clark.

Although Clark has publicly supported White, the Fever have a lot at stake as they look to capitalize on Clark's star power and continued rise among the league's elite.

Clark is eligible for an EPIC contract extension but has said she wants to evaluate Indiana's salary-cap situation and roster construction before deciding whether to sign it. With so much riding on Clark's future in Indiana, many believe the next GM could look for a head coach who can get even more out of the young star.

Cox's firing has also raised questions among Fever fans about what lies ahead for All-Star Kelsey Mitchell, who is entering free agency. Mitchell has spent her entire career with the Fever but was noncommittal about prioritizing a return to Indiana as she prepares to explore her options.

The new GM will also have to decide whether to bring back popular forward Sophie Cunningham, who had an inconsistent finish to the season. Lexie Hull also took a step back, leaving the Fever with more questions about the supporting cast around Clark and franchise center Aliyah Boston.

Indiana has plenty to sort out before the 2027 season, and White's future could be one of the biggest questions of all.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/doesn-t-mean-safe-wnba-015156366.html

By Shelby Swanson

The Lynx have an estimated $355 million valuation, but experts say shared ownership with the Timberwolves and limited financial transparency complicate things.

When Marc Stad agreed to buy a controlling stake in the Wolves and Lynx in August, there was one eye-popping number tied to the pending transaction: $4.5 billion. That’s the valuation tied to both franchises, with the Wolves representing the lion’s share. No separate figure was circulated for the Lynx, and the process of finding its true value is a bit tricky.

It’s well documented that women’s basketball is experiencing historic growth, as new star power in the WNBA has led to record viewership and higher salaries for players. Look no further than the WNBA Finals, when the Atlanta Dream moved two games against the Golden State Valkyries to the Hawks’ much larger NBA arena to accommodate ticket demand — and sold out both games.

Such excitement has driven the rising value of women’s sports franchises, but their true worth is still hazy. The Valkyries, who have played just two seasons, are the envy of the league: the lone billion-dollar franchise in women’s pro sports, according to CNBC. And even that lofty figure might be lower than the franchise’s actual value, owner Joe Lacob has said.

The Lynx, after 28 seasons and four championships, have been pegged recently at a $355 million valuation, according to Sportico. Like all valuations, the figure is best understood as an educated guess — not a price tag. And in this case it may be outdated, since it predates the deal involving the Wolves and Lynx announced in August. The organization declined to comment on the valuation.

So how does one get to a realistic valuation? According to experts, a lack of financial transparency and a complicated ownership structure make it hard to find a true figure — and therefore hard to understand how exactly the Lynx fit amid the WNBA boom.

Why the Lynx are so difficult to value

Eduardo Minuci, an economics professor at North Carolina A&T with expertise in sports finance, said valuing the Lynx independently is difficult because the team isn’t operated as an entirely independent business.

For “sister organizations” such as the Wolves and Lynx, that makes it hard to separate the teams’ revenue and expenses, which factor into valuation calculations, Minuci said.

Irwin Kishner, a sports attorney who specializes in ownerships and transactions, said sister teams are valued by buyers as separate and distinct assets — even when part of one transaction. But there’s still overlap. A buyer could value each franchise individually, Kishner said, while also considering the benefits of owning both.

There’s also the matter of the WNBA’s ownership structure. WNBA team owners collectively hold 42% of the league, while NBA team owners hold another 42%. The remaining 16% belongs to a group of investors, including some team owners, who participated in a 2022 investment round that raised $75 million.

Victor Matheson, professor of economics at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., said breaking down those numbers is a bit of a guessing game. He compares the challenge to separating revenue from different products made by 3M.

“They’re not necessarily going to break down, ‘Well how much of that [revenue] is sandpaper and how much of that is Scotch tape, right?’ ” Matheson said.

Why WNBA franchise valuations remain uncertain

Isolating a WNBA franchise’s value is made even harder due to the league’s lack of financial transparency. The league has been more opaque about its numbers than the NBA over the last 10 to 15 years, Matheson said.

“These are privately held firms,” Matheson said, “which means they are not subject to public reporting of revenues, profits, all these sorts of things.”

That means, even for someone like Minuci, there are no publicly available financial statements for him to properly estimate future cash flows and profitability. He can use things like media rights and revenue sharing structure, how they have changed over time, and local market demand characteristics. But direct team sales show most clearly what someone is willing to pay for a franchise. And those are scarce in the W, further complicating the issue.

“WNBA franchises don’t get sold every day,” Matheson said. “And so it’s hard to update our thinking about what these things are actually worth.”

Recent transactions offer some benchmarks.

The Connecticut Sun were sold to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for $300 million in a deal announced in March and finalized in May, according to former owner Mohegan. And the three future expansion franchises — Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — each carried a $250 million expansion fee, before additional startup and facility costs.

In each case, the franchise was acquired by or awarded to an ownership group that also owns an NBA team.

There’s also little historical research to draw upon. Kerianne Rubenstein, assistant professor of sports analytics at Syracuse University, said there’s no data on franchise valuations for WNBA teams before 2021. And there are few researchers like her or Minuci dedicated to economic research on the WNBA.

“We just don’t have a ton of financial data for W teams at all... it’s something that’s holding back the research,” Rubenstein said.

How sharing ownership with the Timberwolves benefits the Lynx

Would ascertaining a value be easier if the Wolves and Lynx split? Not necessarily.

Plenty of questions would arise from a theoretical separation: what happens with training facilities? Would the Lynx pay rent to practice at Mayo Clinic Square or play at Target Center? How does the ownership structure and shared staffing shift?

There are also several benefits to the co-ownership model, say Minuci and Rubenstein. Access to resources and facilities is at the top of that list. NBA teams also have higher cash flows and more established bargaining power to advocate for massive investments — or potentially engage with the city for a new facility, said Minuci.

And, according to ongoing research by Rubenstein, the financial success of an NBA team can spill over to its sister WNBA team.

“When the Wolves have a really great year, they make a ton of money, and those resources get funneled into their shared spaces,” Rubenstein said.

The Timberwolves are on the prowl for a new arena, with their lease at Target Center set to expire in 2035. That new building could mean an improved complex for the Lynx, too.

“Nicer facilities, better analytics, more infrastructure,” said Rubenstein, “and then it bleeds out.”

That financial and operational overlap also makes it difficult to determine where the Timberwolves’ value ends and the Lynx’s begins.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-lynx-valuation-wnba-finals-2026-womens-basketball-growth-revenue-mn-timberwolves-ownership/601882283

Just more background that I hadn’t seen included in other reports.

Not sure if it’s better to know this has been an issue for months. Feels worse for the Dream management and the WNBA/NBA leaders that it hasn’t been worked out by this point.

I have a long layover in ATL today. Is there anyplace at the airport that has Dream merch? I'll be on Concourse B, but should have time to venture to other concourses.

• Source is here - https://www.instagram.com/p/De2EioKlb6I/

After the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday in Atlanta's State Farm Arena, tying the best-of-seven series at 2-2, one question was answered and another far more important question was raised.

There will definitively be a Game 6 in Atlanta. But nobody knows yet where or even when the game will be played despite a furious round of negotiations spilling into Sunday between the WNBA, NBA, Valkyries, Dream and Atlanta Hawks, sources told ESPN.

The Dream -- whose home venue of Gateway Center Arena has a capacity of approximately 3,500 -- have played all five home playoff games at the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, home to and operated by the Hawks. Coordination between the leagues, teams and multiple media partners resulted in Games 3 and 4 of the Finals getting moved to State Farm Arena. Game 3 was shifted up a day, from Thursday to Wednesday, while the Hawks agreed to hold a doubleheader with the Dream and moved tip time of Saturday evening's home opener back 30 minutes.

But with the Hawks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm the night of Game 6, as well as other scheduling complications, the situation is more complex than what the leagues dealt with earlier in the series and could have millions of dollars of impact on both leagues.

"We continue to explore all options," a WNBA spokesperson told ESPN.

A Dream spokesperson said Sunday, "We are waiting to hear from the league if any changes can be made to allow us to play in State Farm Arena. If not, the game will be played in Gateway Center Arena."

Multiple sources believe it's a real possibility that Game 6 will indeed be held Thursday as scheduled at Gateway Center Arena in College Park.

"There are problems with all the solutions," one source close to the situation said.

Sources told ESPN that the NBA has been working with the Hawks and Cavaliers to determine if Thursday's game could be switched to an alternate date -- or even to Cleveland. While some stakeholders feel the onus should be on the NBA to move their regular-season games so that WNBA Finals games can be prioritized, there has been pushback from others that the domino effects of moving that game are too complicated.

Thursday's Hawks-Cavs game is already a back-to-back for both teams: The Hawks host the Miami Heat at State Farm on Wednesday, while the Cavs have a home game on Oct. 28 before traveling to Atlanta. Moving Thursday's game to Cleveland is a radical idea that has been discussed, sources said, but it would create a home-road back to back for the Hawks in addition to the logistical nightmare of scheduling a new home game in Cleveland with just a few days' notice.

After the Oct. 29 Hawks game, Cleveland is also supposed to play Oct. 31 in Milwaukee, which could also be hosting Games 6 and 7 of the World Series. An additional wrinkle is that Fridays are NBA Cup exclusive games, but Hawks-Cavs is a non-Cup game.

State Farm Arena has open dates on Oct. 27 -- the day after Golden State hosts Game 5 -- and Oct. 30. One proposal would move Game 6 of the WNBA Finals to Friday, Oct. 30, and Game 7, if necessary, from Saturday, Oct. 31, at Chase Center to Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The WNBA would support that proposal, but only if both teams agree to it, sources said.

The Valkyries have raised concerns about moving two WNBA Finals games and the three off days that proposal would create in between Games 5 and 6 as well as between Games 6 and 7, sources said.

"We're proud to be part of such a compelling Finals and love seeing the growth of the game," a Valkyries spokesperson said in a statement. "We fully support what's best for the league and will stand behind whatever it decides."

Playing a Game 7 on Nov. 3 would also conflict with a recent NBA policy of not holding games on Election Day, although sources said that does not currently appear to be a strong concern.

Availability at Chase Center is also not abundant. The Golden State Warriors -- whose ownership group also owns the Valkyries -- currently have home games scheduled against the LA Clippers on Sunday, Nov. 1, and Phoenix Suns on Monday, Nov. 2.

While they don't share an ownership group with the Dream, the Hawks have expressed a desire to help facilitate the WNBA Finals in their arena, as they did for Games 3 and 4, sources said. The Dream will be a full-time tenant at State Farm Arena beginning in 2027, the team announced earlier this month, which should make holding playoff dates in the future more seamless.

There has been discussion about moving Thursday's game to a matinee, like Game 4 was, sources said. The Hawks have been open to facilitating another doubleheader at State Farm Arena, but other sources said the league believes the idea of a weekday matinee for a Finals game would not be as desirable compared to a weekend matinee.

Other Atlanta-area alternate arenas -- such as Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion or Gas South Arena in Duluth -- aren't viewed as ideal since they would feel like road games for both teams.

Both games in Atlanta sold out quickly once the games were moved to State Farm Arena. Fans wanting to purchase tickets for Game 6 have been told to wait for a resolution to the scheduling conflicts, sources said.

While it is not uncommon for WNBA playoff games to be moved to alternate sites because of arena commitments to NBA games or other events, sources on all sides of this situation expressed frustration that these issues hadn't been resolved prior to Saturday.

"This should've been solved weeks ago, and definitely at the same time Games 3 and 4 were solved," one source said.

Said another: "The fact we are making these decisions so we can play a WNBA game at a larger arena is the best news of all... it just has to be scheduled better in advance. Moving games is much harder now than it would have been a week ago."

Here is one news article:

https://athlonsports.com/wnba/indiana-fever/indiana-fever-veteran-makes-career-move-after-9th-wnba-season

CORRECTION: For Option 6, the weekday matinee, the game would stay on Thursday and NOT be moved to Wednesday.

Background:

https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/2026-wnba-finals-game-6-venue-state-farm-arena-dream-valkyries/

So, I'm a Liberty fan that hopped on the Valkyries bandwagon a few months back. I've never disliked the Dream (and I particularly love Howard), but I will admit my bias, broader issues with the reffing across, and general disappointment with the Liberty 'building me up to let me down' has had me complaining a LOT lately.

'Maybe I'm just used to the Liberty having a favorable whistle?' I asked myself. However, after seeing the Dream shoot 31 free throws to the Valkyries 13 today, I decided to look at some numbers...

...And it turns out the Dream are currently working at a +60 free throw attempt advantage across this playoff run. And they were actually -2 against the Mystics to start, then +11 against my Liberty, and now they are at a whopping +51 FTA compared to the Valkyries.

I don't know. That last one, this Finals series, is what seems really weird to me.

The Dream certainly take a lot of shots in the paint, and Angel is especially good at drawing fouls - but they also take their fair share of 3s, too. And, particularly, they are a very aggressive, defensive-minded team. Teams that play defense like they do don't usually shoot more free throws than their opponents. And what makes it WEIRDER is that the actual personal foul difference is only +15; so the Valks have committed 15 more fouls while taking 51 fewer free throws.

But is it just the Valkyries style of play, comparatively? They are also very aggressive on defense. And, sure, they have taken 16 more 3s across the series - but they've also taken 31 more shots from the field in total, as well; that's a BIG difference. Especially for a team that's committed 7 more turnovers, too. And, comparatively, the Valks were -19 in FTA against the Wings across 3 games; but they were also +2 against the Aces. That 19 is notable - but isn't anywhere CLOSE to 51 though (or, technically, the 33FTA disparity they were at after the first 3 games).

Anyway. I'm curious everyone's thoughts. And for what it's worth, I'm trying hard to be reasonable about this, too - no hate at all; this is just basketball after all. It's ultimately all for fun - there's real problems in the world, as we all know, and free throw attempt disparity in an absolutely amazing 2-2 Finals series is NOT one of them.

But also I just thought this was worth discussing...

Oh, and for what its worth, this is where I'm sourcing my numbers - feel free to double check them; I'm no expert or anything:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/teams/GSV/2026_games.html

https://www.wnba.com/game/gsv-vs-atl-1042600304/box-score (because today's game isn't on bball reference yet)

I'm new to the WNBA fandom. I started watching approximately a year ago, so a lot of the norms, values, and beliefs are new to me. When I watch games, I watch as a fan and don't know much "inside baseball" with respect to rules, plays, positions and so forth. I just love watching elite athletes compete & I love the multiple layers of cultural analysis to unravel.

So my question comes from a place of naïveté, perhaps.

Full disclosure, part of me is rooting for Angel Reese because the online hate against her is disgusting. The vociferous torrent of abuse she suffers is one of the first things I witnessed when I started to read the comment sections of WNBA social media pages. That said, as a Cali resident, I've had a strong affection for the Valks - they're this amalgamation of seasoned vets and overlooked role players. And boy do I love an underdog story. I would be happy to see either team win.

I watch analyses after each game and notice a pattern. It's something like...

-When the Valks win it's because of what Atlanta failed to do - ATL had turnovers, missed free throws, didn't get rebounds etc. Atlanta loses the game for themselves, not because of the Valkyries acumen.

-When the Dream win it's because they're a dominant, unstoppable force with lots of All Stars, offensive power, and that internal "dog". They just "want it more".

-The Valkyries "steal" wins with defense but aren't that great of a team because they're offensively weak.

-The Dream is a "better" team but the Valks have a better coach.

There are others I'm missing, but these are the dominant narratives across the five commentators I've watched after each game.

It's become clear to me that the Valks, despite being the two seed, don't get a lot of respect or clout online and I struggle to understand why.

Yet, this could be what the algorithm is serving me.

Do you think the Valkyries are underestimated? Or do you believe the reverse - that they're a team that has stumbled into the two seed but don't have what it takes to win the chip? Or something else entirely?

Curious to know what other fans think. And please don't use this as an opportunity to trash or malign any player's character...thank you.

Earlier this season Karl said in a press conference he didn’t use Madina and Angel because they haven’t practiced plays with Angel out of her position (PF Is her natural position)

But yet Naz gets to play out of position at center despite not playing center all season.

Pao Pao and Izzy have made the same mistakes this season. Pao would miss 1 3 and have a turnover and be on the bench in 30 seconds.

While Izzy would be allowed to work through her mistakes.

Indya nivar is the only other pg on the roster and she got moved to development so we could add a 5th 2 guard skw.

Don’t get me wrong she’s raw but she defends, makes post entry passes attacks the rim she could actually be used for 5-10 minutes at the very least it’s better than running rhyne at point.

Sika skillset actually fits this GS series because she can switch if you don’t wanna run okot she’s better at rebounding and closing out shooters than Naz is she also give you more size.